The Patek Philippe Aquanaut was born in the context of the nineties, when the boom in information technology created a category of nouveau riche who was no longer satisfied with showing off their well-being with older generation watches. Patek Philippe chooses to take inspiration from its most recent success, the Nautilus by Gerald Genta, drawing some shapes from it but making the whole more sporty and informal.

The Patek Philippe Aquanaut is an innovative watch for many reasons. First of all, the "chocolate bar" or "tank" dial is a revolution for Patek Philippe, a company accustomed to refined dials that are enamelled or decorated with very fine motifs. Even the rubber strap, always checkered, is a novelty that amazes many when this watch is presented.

Success for the Patek Philippe Aquanaut is not immediate. This watch will be understood especially when it is revisited in the references 5165 and 5167, the latter called "Jumbo" due to the large case. The new dial without the Arabic index at three o'clock leaves room for the date window, resulting in a more balanced overall look.

The Aquanaut is also the watch with which Patek Philippe experiments the most. In addition to offering it with complications such as the second time zone in the Travel Time version, Calatrava's Casa della Croce also produces the Aquanaut in numerous color variations. The Aquanaut is in fact produced with the most diverse dial and strap colours: from khaki green to orange, passing through blue.

Today the Patek Philippe Aquanaut is a very popular watch for those who want a more affordable alternative to the Nautilus. The strong demand for the latter, however, also led to an increase in requests and prices for the Aquanaut, which is why this watch too, born as a gateway for young people into the world of Patek Philippe, ended up be an investment purchase.